Download Romanesque

Romanesque
The name gives it away–Romanesque architecture is
based on Roman architectural elements. It is the rounded Roman arch that is the literal basis for structures
built in this style.
All through the regions that were part of the ancient Roman Empire are ruins of Roman aqueducts and
buildings, most of them exhibiting arches as part of the architecture. (You may make the etymological
leap that the two words are related, but the Oxford English Dictionary shows arch as coming from
Latin arcus, which defines the shape, while arch-as in architect, archbishop and archenemy-comes from
Greek arkhos, meaning chief. Tekton means builder.)
When Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 C.E., Europe began to take its first steps
out of the “Dark Ages” since the fall of Rome in the fifth century. The remains of Roman civilization
were seen all over the continent, and legends of the great empire would have been passed down through
generations. So when Charlemagne wanted to unite his empire and validate his reign, he began building
churches in the Roman style–particularly the style of Christian Rome in the days of Constantine, the first
Christian Roman emperor.
After a gap of around two hundred years with no large building projects, the architects of Charlemagne’s
day looked to the arched, or arcaded, system seen in Christian Roman edifices as a model. It is a logical
system of stresses and buttressing, which was fairly easily engineered for large structures, and it began to
be used in gatehouses, chapels, and churches in Europe. These early examples may be referred to as preRomanesque because, after a brief spurt of growth, the development of architecture again lapsed. As a
body of knowledge was eventually re-developed, buildings became larger and more imposing. Examples
of Romanesque cathedrals from the early Middle Ages (roughly 1000-1200) are solid, massive,
impressive churches that are often still the largest structure in many towns.
In Britain, the Romanesque style became known as “Norman” because the major building scheme in the
11th and 12th centuries was instigated by William the Conqueror, who invaded Britain in 1066 from
Normandy in northern France. (The Normans were the descendants of Vikings – Norse, or north men –
who had invaded this area over a century earlier.) Durham and Gloucester Cathedrals and Southwell
Minster are excellent examples of churches in the Norman, or Romanesque style.
The arches that define the naves of these churches are
well modulated and geometrically logical – with one look you can see the repeating shapes, and
proportions that make sense for an immense and weighty structure. There is a large arcade on the ground
level made up of bulky piers or columns. The piers may have been filled with rubble rather than being
solid, carved stone. Above this arcade is a second level of smaller arches, often in pairs with a column
between the two. The next higher level was again proportionately smaller, creating a rational diminution
of structural elements as the mass of the building is reduced.
The decoration is often quite simple, using geometric
shapes rather than floral or curvilinear patterns. Common shapes used include diapers – squares or
lozenges – and chevrons, which were zigzag patterns and shapes. Plain circles were also used, which
echoed the half-circle shape of the ubiquitous arches.
Early Romanesque ceilings and roofs were often made of wood, as if the architects had not quite
understood how to span the two sides of the building using stone, which created outward thrust and
stresses on the side walls. This development, of course, didn’t take long to manifest, and led from barrel
vaulting (simple, semicircular roof vaults) to cross vaulting, which became ever more adventurous and
ornate in the Gothic.
Third and fourth images on this page of Gloucester Cathedral; all other images depict Southwell Minster
Text by Valerie Spanswick
Pictures taken from video footage by Richard Spanswick